A minute walk every day is a great start if you've been inactive. Empty calories will lead to unnecessary weight gain but will not provide your baby with any of the nutrients he or she needs. Take a short nap. Cahill, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Washington University, in St. Other Ways to Give.

For some women, that best way to lose weight to get pregnant time when a warm and snuggly newborn has finally arrived can be mixed with emotions about the changes in their own bodies, and many of these women have questions about how they will lose the weight they put on over the past nine-plus months. Studies show that many women appear to hold on to at least a couple of pounds postpartum, and a quarter of women retain 11 or more pounds 5 or more kilograms a year after giving birth.

After having a baby, a woman retains, on average, 2. That may not seem like much, but if a woman goes on to have more children or gains more weight for other reasons, the pounds can add up, she said. Holding on to pregnancy weight can lead to serious health consequences down the road, putting moms at risk for chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. And losing the pregnancy weight is important not just for new moms, but for babies, too. Going into a future pregnancy at a higher weight can put both the mom and the developing baby at risk for medical complications, such as gestational diabetes and hypertension.

To determine the best practices for women who want to shed the baby weight, Live Science dove deeply into the data, reviewing the best studies on postpartum weight loss and talking to key experts in the field. Ultimately, we found that losing weight after pregnancy boils down to three main points, starting before you even give birth:. For women worried about extra pregnancy pounds, the experts we spoke with agreed that it's certainly possible to return to your pre-pregnancy weight, and indeed, that should ultimately be your goal.

Emily Oken, a professor of population medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. And although it's possible for women to lose all of their pregnancy weight without making major changes in their lives, the natural shift in women's lifestyles that happens after they give birth certainly introduces new challenges.

There's no getting around weight gain during pregnancy, of course. But it's important to understand how much weight you should gain, why your body is putting on pounds and how it plays a role in what happens after the baby arrives. So, how much weight should a woman gain during pregnancy? It all depends on her body mass index BMI before she gets pregnant. According to the Institute of Medicine IOMwomen who are considered underweight should aim to gain 28 to 40 lbs.

For women who are pregnant with twins, the recommended weight gain amounts are higher. And although a weight gain of best way to lose weight to get pregnant to 35 lbs. As illustrated in the infographic below, pregnancy pounds also come from the placentathe growing uterus and growing breasts, and increased blood and fluid volume in the woman's body. And yes, added fat also weighs in. In addition, some studies suggest that gaining too much weight during pregnancy increases the likelihood of a cesarean-section deliveryaccording to the review.

While C-sections are generally considered safe, they do carry additional risks compared with vaginal births. For example, a C-section is a major surgical procedure, and having a C-section for a first best way to lose weight to get pregnant can often lead to repeat C-sections in future deliveries. According to the IOM, one of the major reasons women should limit their weight gain during pregnancy is to reduce risks to the baby's health. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical issues that include high blood pressure, a large waist circumference and low levels of "good" cholesterol.

Finally, gaining too much weight during pregnancy also may be associated with preeclampsiathe authors wrote. Preeclampsia is a serious complication that can develop during pregnancy when a woman has both high blood pressure and excess levels of protein in her urine. It can put both the mother and the baby at risk. But the amount of weight a woman gains should not be spread equally over the three trimesters of pregnancy.

The IOM advises women to gain between 1. Then, during both the second and third trimesters, women are advised to gain 0. The IOM advises that, during these trimesters, underweight and normal-weight women gain 1 lb.

best way to lose weight to get pregnant

From the moment the baby weight starts to get strong. Weight training will go a long way toward make it harder for you to lose your pregnancy weight. Care For Your Horse's Total Health. 50% Off Shipping with Auto-Ship!. The Best Ways to Lose Weight After Pregnancy . It's also important for a woman to lose the weight before getting pregnant again, [The Best Way to Lose Weight. The best way to get down to a healthy pre- pregnancy weight is the tried-and-true method: Don't try to lose weight while you're pregnant, but do limit your weight.